Maggie Gyllenhaal takes dictation.

“I can’t type. I’ve tried to learn but it’s not on the top of my priority list. I have no secretarial skills… I guess I could file.” For anyone looking for a secretarial job, this CV sucks. But Maggie Gyllenhaal’s quirky beauty, celeb family and willingness to indulge in S&M mean that the shortcomings on her CV count for little to unscrupulous bosses. No wonder she was sceptical when director Steven Shainberg’s offered her the leading role in Secretary.

Gyllenhaal recounts, “I was worried that the film would be exploitative. When Steve offered me a role I told him I didn’t trust him enough to work with him yet. We spent a month combing through the script together to make sure we wanted to explore the same issues.”

That’s a bit of a bossy attitude from the hired help, isn’t it? “But I’m so picky about what I like,” explains Gyllenhaal. “One of the most important things is fighting for what you need. Everyone has their own agenda and competing requirements, so fighting as an actor is important.” As she proved recently, when she spent 90 minutes on the red carpet at the Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, attacking the invasion of Iraq.

Contract signed, Miss Gyllenhaal excels at the job. She plays Lee, a recently released mental patient who finds her dream job as a legal secretary to James Spader’s Mr Grey. It’s not the typing but the bouts of bondage with the boss that supply her with job satisfaction.

On the phone, Gyllenhaal tells me about her own fantasies. “I’ve recently become interested in setting up a home, which is weird because I always thought I just wanted to travel around and not be tied down. I want to work with Pedro Almodovar and make interesting films.” And Secretary is proof that Maggie, like her character Lee, is determined to live out those fantasies. Kaleem Aftab 16 May 03

Secretary, on release, 16 May 03.

useful link: www.secretarythemovie.com